Refrigerator for clams or other crustacean foods.



No. 783,216. PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905. A. MOORE.

REFRIGERATOR FOR GLAMS OR OTHER GRUSTAGEAN FOODS.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY 11, 1904.

/ 2 SEEETS-SHEET 1.

4- 311 vem'toz W E I PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

A. MOORE. REFRIGERATOR FOR GLAMS OR OTHER GRUSTAGEAN FOODS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11. 1904.

2 SHBETS-8HEET 2.

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UNTTnn STATES Patented February 21, 1905.

[PATENT Orricn.

AMBROSE MOORE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

REFRIGERATOR FOR CLAIVIS OR OTHER CRUSTACEAN FOODS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,216, dated February 21, 1905.

I Application filed July 11, 1904. Serial No. 216,110.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMBROSE MOORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators for Clams or other Crustacean Foods, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus for preserving as suitable food clams, oysters, and other water products by keeping them free from the possibility of decomposition and decay; and it consists in the construction of a new and useful refrigerator such as is shown in the accompanying drawings, of which Figurel is a perspective of the entire apparatus. Fig. Qis a longitudinal vertical section of the same, and Fig. 3 is a detail view in section of the drip-cup attached to the refrigerator.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the entire drawings.

A is the body of the device, rectangular in shape, made of suitable dimensions and airtight and surmounted by a top B, to which is hinged at (Z a door O, which latter is shown raised to its open position by dotted lines O. The body A consists of the bottom a, resting on four legs a, of which one is placedat or near each corner of said bottom. Said body also comprises four glass sides, (shown at (0 which are held together by a wooden frame,

thereby making the contents of said body visible. The frame (designated as A is boxlike in construction, open at its top and lined at the bottom at the four corners and at the top edge with zinc or tin or galvanized iron. It is provided at its top edge with the shoulder or offset (6 extending entirely around the same and adapted to receive and hold in place the top B with its door O. Said shoulder or offset is provided with a facing-strip of rubber or similar material extending entirely around the box and intended to make an air-tight fit between the edge of said box and its top and door. Extending entirely around the box on its outside and near the bottom thereof is a metal trough a the purpose of which will be hereinafter named. At one corner of the box is located the drip-cup o with the outletpipe (6 Placed within the body A and closely fitting the same is an inner box A, resting upon the bottom of said body A and made of a solid wooden bottom and four sides of wire screen, said inner box being open at the top. The inner box is shorter than the main body of the apparatus, thereby leaving some space between its top edge and the top edge of the outer body, as seen at Resting on the top edge of the inner box near one side thereof and extending entirely across it is the perforated metal ice-holder I), made trough-like in shape and provided at its upper edge with an outwardly-extending flange 7/, extending entirely around it and adapted thereby to rest upon upper edges of the three sides of the said inner box. Said ice-holder is adapted to receive a large cake of ice, the projecting upper portion of which may extend up into the top B and which as it melts will flow through the perforations of said holder, falling into the bottom of said inner box and its contents. The top B, which surmounts the body of my apparatus, is also box-like in construction and is closed at its top and sides and open at its bottom. It is adapted to fit the shoulder or ofiset of the body A and is faced around its lower edge with a strip of rubber or other material cooperating with the facingstrip of the upper edge the more effectively to make an air-tight-closure therewith. Said top and body are provided with spring-clip fasteners c of the type usually put on trunks and traveling-bags and serving to hold said parts securely fastened together. These fasteners, of which only two are'shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are four in number, one being placed on each sideof the box opposite to those shown in Fig. 1 and serving to hold the top and body detachably secured together.

It will be noticed that the top B does not extend entirely across the body A and that the remaining space is occupied by the hinged door O. This latter is made of smaller dimension than the top B, being only about half its height and hinged thereto by two straphinges at or near the opposite ends of said door. The door is adapted to fit around the upper edge of said body or offset and is provided on its lower edge with a facing-strip cooperating with the facing-strip on the upper edge of said body for the purpose hereinbefore mentioned. The contiguous sides of said top and door are further provided with a strip of rubber facing a to complete the air-tight joint between these two parts. Said door is provided at its front with a spring-clip fastener a, similar to that used on the sides of the top and for the same purpose*z'. a, to fasten it to the body A. To the top of said door is secured an ordinary spring-catch 0 which cooperates with detent 0, located on the top B for the purpose of fastening the door thereto in its raised position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

It will be apparent from the above detailed description that my refrigerator is easy of construction and convenient in use.

In operation the door C is to be lifted and looked, as shown in Fig. 2. The clams, oysters, or the like are then to be placed in the innor box, resting on the floor thereof. The top and its door may then be lifted out of place and a large cake of ice placed in the ice-holder b, and the top may be restored to position and the door restored to place and all looked and made air-tight by the means hereinbefore described. The water from the iceholder will fall through upon the contents of the inner box, tending to keep the same cool, and as it accummulates in sufficient quantities will pass through the drip-hole in the corner of the bottom of said inner box into the bottom of the outer body and out through the pipe thereto connected. The presence of the ice in the inner box will produce -water condensation on the outer surface of the glass sides of said body, and this water will collect and flow downward to the outer trough a and finally be discharged through the pipe a with the water in the drip-cup, as above described.

In one corner at the bottom of the body of my apparatus is located my peculiar form of drip-cup (4. (Shown in detail in Fig. This drip-cup is composed of inner and outer parts, the inner part a" being made to receive pipe (0 secured to the under side-of the bottom of said body, and extending down into said inner part of said drip-cup and near to its bottom. As the water flows through said pipe a into the inner cup (0 it will quickly rise above the lower end of said pipe, thus forming an air-trap and preventing the admission of air into said box through said drip-cup. When the inner cup is filled with water, the latter will overflow the upper edge of said cup into the outer drip-cup and pass therefrom through the pipe (0 It will thus be seen that my refrigerator is compact and air-tight and adapted to hold and preserve clams, oysters, and like food for along time in a cool and fresh condition and in a manner to resist decay. It can be made in sizes suitable for small houses and large business establishments and adapted to keep for an unusual time all kinds of water food in their original freshness and purity.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cooling-receptacle for clams and other crustacean food comprising, in combination, a main body A rectangular in form and provided with glass sides, the top B detachably secured on said body, and partly covering the upper surface thereof; the door C hinged at one side to said top and provided with fastenings at the outer side to secure it to the main body and so located as to complete the covering of the upper surface of said main body; the inner box A conforming in shape to, and fitting within, the main body and having its sides composed of wire screening; the iceholder provided with perforated bottom and extended flanges adapting it to fit within and rest upon the top edges of said inner box; the whole constituting an air-tight compartment and provided with means for discharging the waste water from the melting ice.

2. A cooling-receptacle for clams, oysters and other crustacean food consisting of the main body A, box-like in form open at the top and provided with glass-inclosed sides; the top B surmounting said main body at one end thereof, the hinged door C also surmounting said main body, and, together with said top, completely covering the upper surface of said main body; fastening devices for securing both the top and door to the main body, a spring-detent device for fastening the hinge-door to the top when the former is swung on its hinges to a raised position; the lining of rubber, canvas or similar material placed between the contiguous surfaces of the top and door; the rubber strips placed between the upper edge of the main body and the lower edges of the top and door; the inner box shaped to fit within the main body and comprising a solid bottom and open top, and four screen sides; an ice-holder having a perforated bottom and flanged at its upper edge to fit between and rest upon the upper edges of said inner box; a drip-cup composed of inner and outer members secured at one corner to the bottom of the main body A, a conduit-pipe connected to the bottom of the main body and extending down into the inner drip-cup forming thereby a passage-way for conveying the waste water from the inner box and body A,the waste-trough surrounding the exterior of the main body near its bottom and the pipe a connecting said pipe with said drip-cup, all constructed and combined in such manner as to effect an air-tight fit of the main body with its top and door and a prompt discharge of waste water collected both on the inside and outside of the main body.

3. In a cooling-receptacle for clams, oysters,

and other Water products in Which are combined inner and outer box-like members With adjustable top and hinged door and perforated ice-holder, conduits (a and (0 the drip-cup composed of the outer member a with its outlet-pipe ((7, the inner member a the latter so placed as to leave a space between its bottom and the bottom of the outer member and so related to the conduit (0 as to receive all the waste from the inner boX and to prevent its discharge until the outlet end of said conduit is permanently below the surface of the Water thereby effecting" an air-tight closure of the said receptacle all hereinbefore substantially described and set forth.

In testimony whereof I afi ix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

AMBROSE MOORE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE F. COLLINS, A. E. T. DRAPER. 

